"Shoulda did that sooner. Finally I can stop babysitting that little brat and go do what I want to do." Grimmjow thought as he landed on a building's rooftop.

The arrancar glanced over his shoulder to make sure she hadn't followed him; nothing was in sight.

"Even if she'd wanted to, she's too weak to be able to go from roof to roof."

He turned back the way he was headed, and flinched for a second. Then he relaxed as Grimmjow saw Ichigo Kurosaki suddenly appear on the roof.

"Well, well, well. You came to me for a change." He mused, grinning at the solemn soul reaper.

"What's the matter? Ya miss me?"

The orange-haired soul reaper looked left, then right.

"Where's that girl you were with?"

His eyes narrowed.

"Oh, I see. So you met the retardo twin."

"I'm not in the mood for your jokes, Grimmjow. Where is she?"

"What d'you care?"

"Saya said she was searching for her. And that you were with her."

"'fraid not." He spoke, closing his eyes for a moment.

Thunder clapped once in the sky as the rain began to fall harder.

His eyes opened and stared at Ichigo.

"I ditched her."

The soul reaper's expression changed to show more irritation as he grabbed the sword held to his back.

"Then I guess I've got nothing to worry about."

The instant after he drew his sword he went into bankai, and black and red flames swirled around him.

Grimmjow smirked, and drew his own katana out.

"Oh you've got something to worry about alright. It just doesn't look quite so pretty."

"Don't be so hard on yourself. A bit of makeup, maybe a wig… it'd go well with your eyeliner."

The arrancar chuckled.

"Just some marks I got from my 'family'. Not bad though, Kurosaki."

"Just one question before we do this, Grimmjow."

"What's that?"

"Why did you leave that girl?"

"She was holding me back. Wanted me to be baby-sit her."

"So you just left?"

His smirk grew bigger.

"That's right."

Ichigo closed his eyes and his grip on Zangetsu tightened.

"I see."

A second later his eyes burst open and he appeared before Grimmjow, swinging Tensa Zangetsu at him. Grimmjow blocked and grabbed the sword, drawing Ichigo forward towards his free hand that began to charge a bala. However, Ichigo kicked his feet out and pushed off of Grimmjow's chest while simultaneously gaining distance between the two and causing the bala to fire straight up into the air.

The arrancar only fell back a step and used the uneven balance he had to catapult himself forward towards the soul reaper, his sword out in front of him like a shield. Their swords clashed as Ichigo fought to defend himself against the momentum Grimmjow had built up during his trip. Before he could do so, however, Grimmjow landed on the ground and slid their swords out to the side.

His attention drawn to the moving blades, Ichigo momentarily lost sight of Grimmjow's other arm, which punched him in the lower ribs and sent him stumbling back. Before he'd so much as taken a breath, Grimmjow lunged forward once more and clashed swords with Ichigo again.

"What's wrong soul reaper? You're getting kicked around too easily tonight!"

Ichigo scowled at him and fought for control.

"I just don't understand how you could be with someone evil. You've got your problems, sure, but I never figured you were an out-and-out villain."

His eyes went wide for a moment, giving Ichigo the impression he was about to burst into a fit of rage. However, when emotion overtook him it was laughter that came out of his mouth, not a roar.

"That stupid little twit got you too huh?"

"What do you mean?"

"Come on, Kurosaki. Are things ever that simple in the real world?"

A flash of uncertainty passed through his eyes and gave Grimmjow the chance to kick him away. As Ichigo struggled up from the ground Grimmjow pointed his katana at him.

"It's never that black and white."

"Diva!" Saya yelled as the two charged at each other.

She had no weapon herself, but what she did have was just as, if not more useful; the maternal instincts of a female that felt her children's lives at risk.

As Saya swung her sword down Diva dove forward, tackling the girl to the ground and sending the sword from her hand. As Saya reached for it, Diva's hands closed around her throat, strangling her. For the first few moments her hands still reached for the sword's hilt, but as the seconds dragged on and she began to lose her air, they came to Diva's wrists, trying to push them away.

"You're not going to kill them, Saya!" She yelled as a shadow enveloped her from behind.

"Darnit."

She rolled away from them as Haji's claw thrust through the space that used to be occupied by her head.

"So that's how it is; not only do you want to kill my babies and I, but you also want to do it without even giving us a chance?"

Her sister coughed and grabbed the hilt of her sword as Haji stood between them, keeping Diva from attacking again.

"For someone who's preyed on people who were defenseless against you for so many years you sure seem eager to use the 'fight fair' excuse."

Diva stood there silently.

"I'm not here to fight you Diva; I'm here to destroy you."

"Of course you are, Saya. That's all you've ever wanted to do; was kill me."

Her twin stepped out past the security of her chevalier, the sword out in front of her.

"I don't want to destroy you! I have to!"

"There are no have-to's Saya. You just don't want to admit that you're more than willing to kill me. You're so deluded… I've been stuck, alone, for over a hundred years, unable to keep living… what's your excuse?"

Saya scowled and brought her sword back.

"Talking won't solve anything!"

A tiny smile formed on her face as her eyes gazed at the sword and then shut.

"Of course not. Never with you."

Saya lunged forward and drove her sword out, aiming for Diva's chest-

-and the sword bit through flesh, puncturing her otherwise vital organ and driving out through the girl's back.

Her sister's eyes were wide at how Diva had allowed herself to be run through.

"Do you feel the rain, Saya? The tears of my children as their only family try to kill each other?" Diva asked, her eyes still closed.

They opened.

"And their blood washed away as the tears pour down?"

Saya's eyes went wide once more and she tried to withdraw her sword from Diva's body. However, her twin would give her no such chance and grabbed the blade with one hand while grappling her sister's neck with the other. Diva drew the sword out of her chest and brought it back as her sister struggled to get free. Water barely hit the blade, ignoring the blood-coating that lay decorated across it as it jumped forward once more, this time going through Saya's chest. The girl's eyes trembled as she stared at the bloodied sword that stuck out of her, the sword that had mixed Diva's blood with hers.

"I refuse, Saya…"

The trembling eyes drew up to look into her sister's as she saw the girl's sunken expression.

"I refuse to allow you to kill my babies and I for no reason other than to satisfy your delusion. And if you won't leave us alone, then you have to die, for my daughters' sakes."

Diva thrust the sword into Saya all the way up to the hand guard, and let it go, allowing her sister to fall into the arms of her startled chevalier.

"Goodbye, my dear sister."